future upgrade

[sam]

hi everyone i'm in the planning stages of going from a 75 gallon reef tank to a 180 gal. i just wanted to get some of your thoughts metal halide lighting. i would like to go with three bell pendant type lights but can i save some $$$ by doing the lighting another way? also what type of wattage would you recomend ? i have soft corals now but would maybe want to try some easy sps in time. and my other question is about the size sump i would need for a 180 gal. and what size pump will i have to get (gph) the sump will be in the stand fo the 180. thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Minnreefer]

I personally would recomend against bell pendants for a tank that big, I think the most affordable option would be 3 400 W 65K with VHO actinic support. The other option would be to get either 10K or 20K MH bulbs in the pendant which may not need actinic. The biggest problem with the bell pendants is the shape of the output light, but since I don't have one I do not know for sure.

As for sump and return pump get the biggest sump that you can fit into your stand and I would think about getting an amp master for a return pump. We only have a 135 so I am not an expert. HTH

Jon